U.S. Lawmakers to question FDA, Merck over Vioxx

10 Nov 2004 22:59:22 GMT          Source: Reuters

(Adds detail, other congressional actions)

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Merck & Co. Inc. <MRK.N> Chief Executive Officer Raymond Gilmartin and FDA officials have been called to testify before Congress on Nov. 18 over safety problems with the company's withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx, a top U.S. lawmaker said on Wednesday.

"A critical look at drug safety and the worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx is overdue," said Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee who will chair the hearing.

Merck spokesman Tony Plohoros said the company received Grassley's request and would participate in the hearing but added that Gilmartin would not necessarily testify. "We have not yet determined who will represent Merck," he said.

In separate congressional action on Wednesday, House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis said he wrote Merck's Gilmartin seeking all documents related to a Food and Drug Administration panel's review of the drug, various communications between the company and the FDA, and other documents.

Merck pulled Vioxx, one of its top selling products, off the market Sept. 30 after a study showed the drug doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Some critics say the FDA should have been more aggressive in its oversight of Vioxx, as signs of heart problems had been mounting for years in cardiovascular patients.

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